Sinclair Secrets

Chapter 17: The Distance

The phrase, 'the world stop spinning and time stood still' is too cliché for my liking. However,  it couldn't be any truer than right now. Right here. Standing in an almost empty hallway staring at Vaughn. With him staring right back. His face oddly emotionless. My world just exactly did that. It stopped spinning and time stood still.

And it felt like an eternity. Every passing second, excruciatingly painful.

The lashing of my heart is totally not helping. It's threatening to jump ship any second now.

I gulped. Deep inside me, I was praying this won't happen. Guess, Fate's really being a bitch right now. I let out a breath, but it turned out ragged.

I actually don't know what to do. My mind's in full blown panic.

I felt somebody's presence right behind me and Vaughn's eyes flicked back to him. I saw his jaw muscles flexed.

"What's wrong?" Zed whispered with concern. His hands landed on my shoulders and I blinked as if I just woke up from a trance.

That's when I realized my hands had clamped fistfuls of my skirt. My eyes fleeted down for a moment but when I looked up, Vaughn already turned back to walk down the corridor to our left.

I didn't even know I was holding my breath till he was gone. I breathed hard for a moment. My grips came to ease as well.

Zed shifted to face me. His hands laid on my shoulders again and he had a baffled expression on his pretty face. "Are you alright?" He asked glancing the way Vaughn disappeared to and looked at me again. His brows pulling together.

"Yeah," I breathed. And shook my head unsteadily. "I'm.- I'm fine."

"What just happened? Are you guys on a cold war or something?" His voice was soothing. His eyes were searching mine.

And I just have to look away. I backed off. "I-I have to go."

I hurriedly left a totally confused Zed in the hallway and speed-walked towards the AVR.

At least, I was relieved with one thing. Vaughn's safe still. That's more important.

This is gonna be a long day.

• • •

I waved back at Bessy and Steven as they rode past me towards the exit gate. I was seating on a bench under a huge tree to wait for my ride home.

Bryan texted he would be a li'l late. I glanced at my watch. It's already 4:30 in the afternoon. Students were leaving already.

I put my headphones on and 'Tadhana' by Up Dharma Down played.

All in all this day had been fine. Except for the little encounter in the hallway, I did not see him for the rest of the day. I heard the Student Body is preparing for the Foundation Week next week.

The day was fine. But it felt empty. Like there's a huge hollow in my chest that I don't know how to fill. It feels so strange. . .

I glanced at my phone. It's 4:45 pm.

"Hey!"

My head immediately snapped up when somebody was suddenly looming in front of me.